#seeing double (duplicate muse)

[sentient-rift]

"Guys, we're fighting to protect the Multiverse. Are we seriously going to act surprised every time we see our doppelgangers from different dimensions?"

"Some of us, like Ribbita and me, are still kind of new to this, ribbit."

"And plus, do you know how many views we'll get from a story like this?!"

"Glad to see you got your priorities straight, Ribbita..."

[isolaradiale]

"You know, there's more to this than I thought. I was just thinking about the psychological applications of colour, but there's a real science to all this, too." "They used to teach it in art class, when it still existed." "Hm!" "Actually, go back a page? I have a new idea. They have all these wonderful hues on them now, I think that's enough for phase two." "I absolutely agree~ I'll meet you back at the lab."

And as the two Stars continue to make life difficult for the island residents pursue their creativity, Tageta continued to wheel alongside the museum curator.

. . . . .

It's hard enough to navigate a grey city with all your feelings (and even your core beings) all scrambled and assigned to all these different colours.

Let's make it harder!

In an effort to test the limit of how people see themselves in these wonderful new hues, Mimosa and Solaris have decided to duplicate some of you in a different colour palette. So you may find a duplicate of yourself walking around the city, leaving paint splatters just like you! But there's something different about your new double...

...It's entirely made of paint!

Unlike your current selves, these doubles aren't greyscaled or monochromatic. They follow a specific property, both visually and fundamentally, as listed below:

Tint

A tint of a colour means white was added to it to make it lighter. If your double is a Tint of you, it retains your personality, albeit in a lighter tone that isn't as intense as you are. (Pink is a tint of Red)

Shade

A shade of a colour means black was added to make it darker. If your double is a Shade of you, it retains your personality, albeit in a darker tone that makes your double more moody. (Maroon is a shade of Red)

Analogue

Analogous colours are next to each other on the colour wheel. If your double is an Analogue, it will act mostly like you, but as if something in your story changed and you took a bit of a different path. Maybe your Analogue succeeded in a crucial part of your story where you failed, and act a little different for it. Typically, analogous colours create harmony with one another--how you interpret that is up to you. (Orange and Yellow are analogous colours to Red)

Compliment

Complimentary colours are on opposite sides of the colour wheel. If your double is a Compliment, it will act completely different from you in every aspect it can. Complimentary colours typically clash with one another, and your Compliment will oppose you--how you interpret that is up to you. (Green is a complimentary colour to Red)

Here are some guidelines to this new colour challenge:

It is not mandatory to have a double. This is just a fun little extra--you don't have to have one if you don't want to!

Each muse gets only one double, and it cannot be changed once you make a decision. So you won't be able to use a compliment AND a shade in different threads--you'll have to be consistent!

Every double is made entirely of paint, including their clothes and weapons. They are semi-solid and keep their shape, but are fluid enough to stretch and melt into different areas. They cannot outright transform, but can fit into tight spaces or containers if need be.

Your muse is still under the effect of the Colour Theory, meaning if your double splashes a certain colour paint on you, your personality will change accordingly! You might want to bring an umbrella.

Your double cannot actually use your powers and abilities. Any powers or abilities that have a visual or physical effect will instead be... made of paint. So if you can throw a fireball, your double will also throw a paintball that looks like your fireball. It's very messy, but harmless. If your muse has an ability that has no physical component, like mind control, your double cannot use it--it simply won't have any effect.

If you feel that it's necessary, you can destroy your double by using any technique that would get rid of paint--soap, water, turpentine, etc. You could also burn or freeze them, or find something to absorb them with. Needless to say, stabbing a paint blob wouldn't be very effective... but a garden hose would.

Your double might think it's the real thing. Or it might be aware it's a fake. It depends on how you want to play.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask the Masterlist!

[fierycrown]

Low effort / low maintenance / low activity Blaze the Cat RP blog, primarily HC based with inspiration pulled from Sonic IDW, Sonic '06, Rush, and Rush Adventure.

Info Below the Cut

GUIDELINES:

🔥 The mun (Lucky, she/her) is well over 18 and would prefer to write with other fellow adults, though there will be no explicit content on this blog. Dark content is acceptable, and basic triggers will be tagged accordingly.

🔥 I am mutuals only, though anyone is free to send asks. I may also practice affiliates and will not restrict how many versions of one character can become one. I will not practice mains or exclusives.

🔥 Shipping is kind of up in the air and not a primary focus here, in all honesty, but I will not discourage letting such chemistry develop--granted characters have no prior familial bonds (by blood or adoption). This will require OOC communication as well. No minor or minor-coded characters with adults either.

🔥 This blog welcomes all canon compliant or divergent characters, OCs (including fandomless), crossovers and duplicates of my own and others. Following (back) and interacting may require an about page, or some name(s) I can easily search elsewhere, to help such interactions along.

🔥 No OOC hate towards any demographic. Also try to keep your drama between yourselves and in DMs.

🔥 IC =/= OOC; my character's thoughts are not my own, and I will expect the same between you and yours.

🔥 As sort of stated above, I'm not at all picky about length, graphics, pace, etc. I'm just looking for folks to vibe with and hopefully make some new friends. I'm also okay with improve or plotting. Prompts are my lifeline as far as icebreakers go and do not expire (though if they're a couple weeks old and/or have a handful of posts since one's been reblogged, a little context or link back to it would be appreciated). I will try to match your length though, if that is your preference--as long as you're patient.

🔥 I'm not overly protective of my headcanons or raw crops, graphics, and screenshots as long as people can clearly tell my blog isn't being copied intentionally and can others can still tell us apart. I would rather not see my edits or my own artwork used without my permission. If you do ask, I might even be able to edit something for you, within reason.

🔥 I will not interact with those who use AI for their graphics or writing, or those who support its use. Draw and write your shit your damn self--you defeat the purpose of artistic creation when you let a thieving machine do it for you.

🔥 I would prefer that you have a rules or guidelines page of your own so I'm aware of your boundaries, but it's not a deal-breaker if I can tell by your content. If I can't, you're getting an E-10 experience at worst.

LINKS:

Bio // Verses // Headcanons // Prompts (Art Prompts) // Musings // Aesthetics (Pinterest TBA) // Wishlist // Visuals (My Art) // Soundtrack (Spotify TBA) // Art Permissions Check // Blog Roll

This post doubles as a Permanent Interaction Call; feel free to 'like' if I can tag you in both IC and OOC posts or hop in your inbox whenever I please! And, yes, you can do the same as long as we're already mutuals! You can also reply with any of your preferences or 'unlike' if you change your mind for any reason! (Actually, I prefer that you do if you unfollow as well)

[electricea]

@luvsxcks sent - Do you feel jealous of doubles? ( More Munday Questions - Accepting! )

3. Do you feel jealous of doubles? And if no, please share ways for others to learn.

No, I don't feel jealous - and to be honest, I don't know if there's any one tip I can share that can help people with duplicate anxiety - the way I personally look at it is that these are other muns giving their own interpretation of the character and if someone is writing Ryuji as a muse, they must really love him a lot. Personally speaking, I've always been all about getting to meet new writers - and honestly it's interesting to see how different muns might interpret the same characters and to personally appreciate all of them without feeling like one is a 'favourite' or 'ranking' them, that just feels tacky.

I guess the way I look at it is that I just appreciate each portrayal for how different it is in its own right and the people who write them.

[orangetintedglasses]

Mobile-Friendly Rules (Updated?)

( Updated with a question mark because I think I made mobile rules before but I'm making new ones with snippets from my rules list I think are important! So let's roll this out! )

Basics

Mun is 30+, meaning this blog is 21+ only.

Muse =/= Mun and darker themes are not condoned irl.

Basic RP etiquette will be given and thus, expected in kind.

Drama is not tolerated. No callouts, no anon asks 'warning me' about people, and no vague posts. If I see you doing this shit I will soft block without question.

This doubles as an ask blog; you don't need an RP account to poke Vash. However: anon is a privilege and not a right and will be taken away if things escalate.

Activity/Interactions

Blog is decently moderate activity, though I have more spoons some days than others.

I am very selective, but not mutuals only. I give (most) everyone a chance but will not pursue interactions if I feel our writing/characters don't mesh.

Due to a recent incident, I am not interested in interacting with OC-only content/blogs unless they belong to friends. This includes following them or having them follow me. If you have canons, throw them at me first so I can get to know you. I will not budge on this.

I am 100% duplicate-friendly, but assume other Vashes are not unless I am followed first.

Discord is NOT available to people I've just met. And as a warning to people who do want it: I am much easier to speak to/poke in group chat settings over one-on-one.

Shipping + NSFW

Lewd stuff can be sent/directed at the main blog, but if it starts getting hot and heavy, things will move to the NSFW side blog. Reserved for 21+ folks only.

This blog is multiship and I will not bend on that. Unless cheating/complicated relationships are planned in advance, every ship is it's own thing.

Do not forceship with me. Do not assume a relationship with Vash when the muses have just started interacting. I don’t DM RP OCxCanon, so don’t ask.

Mun chemistry is just as important as muse chemistry when it comes to shipping; if our vibes don't mesh, I won't push for a ship.

My blog is a Plantcest-friendly zone. Shippers and non-shippers are welcome to interact with me without judgement either way. If any posts regarding it come up, they will be appropriately tagged 'plantcest tw' for those who don't want it in their space-- keep in mind, however, that Tumblr does fuck that up sometimes. I will do my best against the spaghetti code. If you message me about this rule to come for my throat, you will be blocked. Just blacklist/block me and move on.

Threading with Sketti

I like doing multiple threads with people, but for my own sake, have to limit it to 3 plotted threads per character. +1 NSFW thread if desired, and crack-y short threads don't count towards the total.

Sometimes if it seems like I've dropped an ongoing thread, my brain has registered the last reply to it as a good place to stop. If you don't agree, feel free to poke me about the thread and I'll reply!

If I feel our muse's introduction thread hasn't hit a good stopping point, I won't plot a new one until it gets there.

If you want a new plotted thread when we have the three already going, we need to come to a consensus on which ongoing thread we can drop.

Obviously everyone has preferences and certain moods for certain topics, and I am not immune to that. I can very much psych myself up for something and forget about other things. Please (nicely) poke me if you feel I've done this and want me to focus our thread again.

[prettydead]

“I follow you because...” you are so kind and fun to interact with! i love your enthusiasm and interpretation of sonia; i've not always had the best of luck when it came to doubles of my muses but your kindness is so refreshing and means so much to me. i'm always happy to see you on my dash. <3

I FOLLOW YOU BECAUSE..... / accepting

Babes this made me smile so big. I love your Sonia sm. I get what it's like having trouble with duplicates. But I am glad I never gave up hope - because it led me to meet you. You are just amazing, and your Sonia is iconic. I am blessed to rp with her, and you.

[mushinomai]

I once believed that the road of happiness continued forever and ever into the distance. When it was destroyed, I realized for the first time that happiness lies atop a thin sheet of glass. And just as we were saved, there are those whose happiness hasn't yet been destroyed. [ . . . ] So I wanted to get stronger and protect them.

That's what we promised each other. Even if we're weak and can't cut off demon heads. [ . . . ] If we defeat one demon, we can save dozens of people. And if we can defeat an upper moon, we can save hundreds. It isn't about whether we can or cannot do. There are things we have to do.

#𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐎𝐌𝐀𝐈 ‒‒   an independent,   private  &  selective blog for shinobu kochou of Gotouge Koyoharu's, Kimetsu no Yaiba.  written  &  beloved by nico !  28.  he/they pronouns.   read rules & pinned post. mature themes may be present. minors dni. personal blogs dni . not spoiler free, proceed with caution.

featuring themes of... extreme personal loss, the crushing weight of the world on your shoulders, the ability to bloom in adversity, to take matters into your own hands & right the wrongs of the world, finding peace in death, to wear any face except your own...

　　𝐈. carrd . 𝐈𝐈. prompts . 𝐈𝐈𝐈. starter call . 𝐈𝐕. relations call . 𝐕. pinboard .

　　　　𝐀𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒: mizukokyu / ourdeath.　hoshirae / rpscllion. 　　　　　　　　　　okkanai. 　hinodae.　setsunaid.　celestiae. 　　　　　　　　　　staraze.

001. Basic roleplay rules will apply here. There is no godmodding without prior discussion. yada-yada. This blog is mutuals only, I will only interact with blogs I follow and that follow me as well. If I see content like homophobia/transphobia, characters aged up or nsfw content of minors on your blog I will not follow and will block you. Pinned post inspired from ryan & my psd was commission made by yookimi! Promotion credit given to floragfx!

002. There will more than likely be darker themes. Most of which will pertain to blood and/or gore. There will be nothing pertaining to things such as S/A or other similar content and I will not condone or take part in said content. Things such as gore, blood, nsfw, and dark themes are auto tagged on my blog with no fancy tags. I also auto tag things like hands, eye contact, insects, food, and other base tags that are commonly mentioned. If I miss a tag, please just give me a heads up.

003. As far as doubles are concerned, I will not follow duplicates of shinobu. multi's may have her on their roster but other solo shinobu's are best following my multimuse rather than here for the sake of interactions.

004. Shipping and other relationships are discussed before assumption. If you do not tell me that you want to ship with my muse, I will automatically not assume their relationship. Shipping is both important and not to me. I do enjoy this aspect and am open to all forms of dynamics. Only romantic ones may be exclusive. Meaning I will only write romantic content with only their version. Those who have muses of an exclusive ship are still free to interact however the dynamic listed is off-limits for her.

005. Hello, I'm Nico! Thank you for reading this far. I am 28 years old and I go by he/they pronouns. Please do not refer to me with she/her at all. I am from the united states, EST time zone. I want to go back to school and study in mortuary sciences and funeral services. I have a few physical issues as well as both autism and adhd. I bring these up as they can affect my activity and interactions sometimes. Please bare with me! Outside that, I have two cats and enjoy just chatting it up over some gaming with friends.

006. PLEASE TAG: self harm, suicide, spiders, trypophobia, and syringes! FANDOMS DNI*: attack on titan, hazbin hotel, helluva boss.*Note: mixed fandom multi's with muses are allowed but direct muses/multis to these fandoms are a no-go.

[te1ekinetic]

☆ ⸻ 𝖙𝖊𝖑𝖊𝖐𝖎𝖓𝖊𝖙𝖎𝖈 ⸻ ☆

a selective, private, independent mumu rp blog featuring mystical & magic muses primarily from the charmed universe as loved by indi - 27 - she/her. rules + muses below the cut.

☆ ⸻ 𝖗𝖚𝖑𝖊𝖘:

my pronouns are she/her and i am in the aest timezone

i'm 27, and all characters are written 21+ - i will only write with 18+ writers

don't be a dick; i don't tolerate misogyny/whorephobia, homophobia/transphobia, racism or any bigotry of any kind.

nsfw will be present because i'm an adult, this includes but is not limited to sexual themes as well as dark and mature writing themes.

all of my muses are canon divergent and my interpretation only, don't be coming up into my inbox saying my muses are doing some ooc shit. i work hard to make my characters mine because that is how i see them best reflected. i personally am duplicate friendly, especially given small fandom circles. i have been writing kat mitchell since 2012 so she's gonna be the most fleshed out out of all the muses but i have enough to say i have a distinct set of charmed muses based on my aesthetics/characteristics/interpretations and i love how others do the same. i enjoy collaborating not being a nasty hater... however do not steal my shit, including but not limited to graphics or headcanons and whatnot...

i use gifs for rping (and love a visual reference) and am not a fancy formatter but do not care what you prefer; icons, double spacing ect is fine as long as i can read ur writing and whatnot.

i'm adhd so like weird and forgetful i guess? just let me know if i forgot something.

that's all.

☆ ⸻ 𝖒𝖚𝖘𝖊𝖘:

melinda halliwell | charmed next gen | witch only | chiara aurelia

kat mitchell | charmed next gen | witch-whitelighter hybrid | sadie soverall

tamora mitchell | charmed next gen | witch-whitelighter hybrid | madelaine petsch

peyton halliwell | charmed next gen | witch-cupid hybrid | lola tung

nia morris | charmed next gen | human | savannah lee smith

☆ ⸻ 𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖊𝖘:

verses include but again are not limited to:

fandom stuff like supernatural/tvd/teen wolf

non fandom supernatural witchy/fantasy shit

yellowjackets!!!

apocalypse/twd/tlou

bridgerton

human/non magic/slice of life au

[sentient-rift]

"Breaking News: I have a doppelganger!

"...And honestly, a sandwich does sound good right now."

[ohcresta]

rules.

GENERAL. this blog is canon compliant and heavily headcanon based. this blog also has an emphasis on a modern interpretation featuring eldritch horror. in my modern verse, annie has the ability to see ghosts. i have been writing annie for years on a different platform; due to copying issues in the past, this blog is not duplicate friendly. my blog is open to mutuals only and for writing partners who are 21 and older. triggers found on this blog are tagged as ‘[trigger] tw’. for example, blood tw. themes and triggers specific to this blog include depictions of war, war violence, pregnancy, dissociation, torture, trichotillomania, and depression. i will not interact with blogs that use woody harrelson, jennifer lawrence, or liam hemsworth as haymitch, katniss, or gale.

ACTIVITY. mun is disabled, chronically ill, and a full-time student so my activity tends to be sporadic. there are times when i’m really really active and sometimes rarely although i am always on discord, which is open to mutuals upon request.

INTERACTING. this blog is primarily plot-focused and dynamic driven, but the best way to start interacting is by sending memes. i can take anywhere between a day and a week to follow back depending on my activity. follow backs are based on if i can see our characters interacting. if i follow you, i want to write with you. i will not follow blogs who whitewash including blogs that use white faceclaims for characters who are poc in their respective movie or show adaptations (ex. bonnie bennett, annabeth chase, alina starkov, malyen oretsev). once these characters have been brought to life in their respective media adaptation and are casted as people of color, these characters are people of color. i will not follow or write with solo blogs who use animated faceclaims. i will not follow genderbent, historical, real-life muses, or blogs that use deceased faceclaims. DNI if you are a solo blog in the following fandoms: asoiaf, stranger things, 13 reasons why, or harry potter.

FORMATTING. i use minimal formatting for my replies including: bolding, underlining, and italicizing. very rarely, i use icons. psd credit to mortemia. i will likely not follow blogs who use double or triple spaces in replies, utilize a lot of “fancy fonts”, or do not cut their posts. please let me know if there’s anything i can do to make my blog more accessible to you.

SHIPPING. while i love shipping, it is not my main focus of this blog. i am open to writing all kinds of dynamics: platonic, romantic, found family, enemies, etc. annie is a difficult character to ship with in general, and all romantic ship dynamics must be chemistry based.

DNI. any form of hate or bigotry — racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, xenophobia, etc. — will result in a block and a report. this blog supports a free palestine. TRUMP SUPPORTERS, YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE.

[talesfantastic]

1 2 3 !!

OKAY, actual reply from the real RP blog. XD Thank you for your patience friend. (These are still such wonderful choices!)

Note from Future Kat: This got long. I am not sorry.

1. How do you draft your threads usually?

So if I'm drafting to draft, I may or may not write a little / some notes before sending it to my drafts. That's where the magic happens later (where I write) and then of course I save it, exit out to snip it (thank you Xkit Rewritten crew!) and post! I'll use a short queue if I have a lot of stuff.

2. Do you believe in long notes threads or each time the plot changes, you write a new starter?

This is a big "it depends" because I think what I really am is a lover of massive threads that stretch over the course of a lot of mostly-consecutive events. However -- and this is where the "it depends" bit comes out -- this only applies to single plotlines. If we try out something new, some au of our muse's canon, or if we do something in a backstory time period, I really think it belongs in a separate (long) thread.

3. Do you feel jealous of doubles? and if no, please share ways for others to learn.

I cannot stress enough to you (the RPC in general) how much I love "doubles" -- and henceforth we're calling them twins, because at best I've seen "doubles" as neutral and mostly it's "doubles" /derogatory and we don't do that in House Kat.

No but twins are fantastic. First off, the mun could (should) be built-in support: they love the same character (proof that they've got similar taste), they love the same piece of media the character is from, and both of you loving this same character immediately opts you into a timetravel thread, check mate.

I think jealousy about twin muses comes from a couple different places, really. Insecurity is the big one, insecurity that they'll be the better writer, that people will like them better, that you'll lose your partners to them... and then possessiveness. Now first, If there is a twin, you can bet it's not of your OC; it may be of a player character, like a main character you customized from an RPG, but it is not your original character (by which I mean both original in every way, and original within a fandom space). That's your baby, we're not talking about that. We're talking canons (divergent, AU, whatever) and player characters here, the ones that can be -- I'll use it this once -- duplicated.

But here's the thing: no two people write the same character the same way. There may be a lot in common, because you are (duh) working from the same template. In fact let me correct myself: there should be a lot in common and if you come up with nothing... something ain't right. (Yes, even say SWTOR player characters. There's massive difference in personality of Light Side / Dark Side but they still go through the same life events. They still have the same people around them.)

I'm not saying there's no originality. Like, I play with other Genesis Rhapsodos RPers -- I've been blessed with five extended writing partners over the years that come to mind. I think out of the six of us I'm the only one who had Genesis 1) model for extra money as a Third (2) have completed some college during SOLDIER -how much varies- and (3) embraces and uses magic as a marriage of science and the supernatural. (That one depends on verses.)

He also thinks Loveless is meh in any non-degrading verse.

We're all different on that, and that's FANTASTIC. Being able to have someone write a "what if" about this character you love for you? Wonderful. Being able to sling headcanons back and forth? Glorious. Having someone who loves your blobo as much as you do to talk with?

Priceless.

The whole thing is, really, and if you take nothing else away please understand 99% of the time, no one's "copying" you. You have the same character/template and they see the character similar to how you do, which is very common and reasonable. Please, calm down y'all.

So uh, if you're still reading (kudos you VIP!) I am NOT jealous of my twins. I am confident as a writer in my unique take and absolutely love to talk to people who love the same character -- isn't that what RP is about? Loving other people's takes and putting yours out there?

I love when people love the blorbos that I love. I love the people who love the blorbos I love with me even more. Come play in my sandbox!

[caulfect]

# caulfect ... 𝚠𝚊𝚕𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚐𝚑𝚘𝚜𝚝𝚜 , ( ... ) exploring themes of aftermaths, regrets, & repetition. independent portrayal of 𝐌𝐀𝐗 𝐂𝐀𝐔𝐋𝐅𝐈𝐄𝐋𝐃 from life is strange, largely double exposure based.

affiliations : @vinhlang & @urselfie

mains : @nprescott, @tragidie, & @sgnals

1. typical rp etiquette applies : don’t hound me for replies, don’t forceship, i only roleplay with mutuals, please be 18+ before interacting, etc etc.

2. i do not tolerate harassment of any kind, deserved or otherwise. negativity of that nature should be kept to private dms and shouldn’t ever wind up in comments or someone’s inbox … it is cowardly and absolutely unacceptable, in my eyes, and will not be tolerated here. we’re all adults, so i expect us to act like it and to communicate, rather than resorting to passive aggressive means or pettiness. if i find out any of my mutuals secretly act like children on the downlow, you will be hard blocked without question. i’m sorry if i sound like a hardass here, but i don’t want to befriend people who genuinely don’t know how to behave.

3. i ship based off chemistry, but i’m also very much into romantic shipping -- so if you ever wish to smash our characters together, please don’t be nervous to do so or to test the waters! same applies with dynamic stuff overall, be it platonic or romantic. the main thing i’m here to do is write and discuss relationships, whatever kind they may be, so feel free to go crazy or blow me up.

4. on that note, however, this blog will always be low activity. i have severe depression on top of bpd & an intense anxiety disorder, so i may not always respond to dms in a timely manner or be here. i promise i’m not ignoring anyone! i just sometimes see a message and forget to respond, or too much time has passed and i feel weird for responding so late … etc. so please be patient with me, but also don’t hesitate to poke me after a while.

5. while i dabble in every aspect of max’s life, i hold a certain fondness for double exposure : meaning this isn’t the place to hate on the game, it’s characters, or anything else involving it. you can have your opinions and i will have mine, but it’s not likely i’ll follow someone who actively hates the entire game and considers it ‘non-canon’, because it is canon here for my max. thank you!

6. max is bisexual. i will not be erasing her canon sexuality nor her attraction to men.

7. nsfw content won’t be frequent over here, but if i discuss it or write it, it will always be under a readmore and tagged appropriately. ‘tw usfw’ will likely be what i use, and any other triggers will be tagged in that same manner.

8. graphic themes such as : sexual assault, drugging, underage sex, grooming, drug use, alcohol use, descriptions of violence, homophobic language, and etc. are apart of lis:1 and lis:de, so please keep that in mind. i won’t likely tag these unless it’s being heavily discussed or if it’s on a mutual’s trigger list.

9. i am affiliated with @vinhlang and pan’s portrayal of him. he will likely be mentioned heavily in threads when max is at caledon and is her default partner if she’s single at that point in time. as my fiance-to-be, their muses and threads also take priority always! i’m fine writing with duplicates of their muses, however, which is why their blogs are listed as affiliates and not as exclusives.

10 . now, i’m sure these rules make me sound like a bitch, but i promise i’m not that scary. if you’ve read this far, then thank you! and i cannot wait to write or plot with anyone who follows this blog. you can also find me on my lis multi, @strangeis, and elsewhere.

dni : if you’re at all associated with the user crywhale or whatever he goes by now. i won’t say anything else on the matter here ( seeing as this is your typical petty tumblr drama ) but mutuals are free to ask questions.

[batricide]

Hello everybody! My name is Iri. They/Them. 25+. Currently trying to make a go at being a full time artist, activity comes in bursts as I frequently travel for work.

rules are pretty simple! standard code of conduct. i'll unfollow for heavy drama or nothing but ooc content. that's about it.

TO NON-RP OR PERSONAL BLOGS.

Everything on my blog is meant for my RP. Not for reblogging. I'm fine with people reading this content! But I will block if you reblog my posts or go through and like every single one.

GENERAL DISCLAIMER.

this is an injustice based damian wayne. while i do have some verses set in other universes (such as the short-lived infinite crisis video game where he's a dhampir) this is not a blog for rebirth damian. i'm much more interested in what-ifs and elseworlds.

damian's default verse will most likely be one where he's been displaced into another universe, though characters are welcome to tumble into his & i am more than happy to work out verses if your character is in injustice but you want to do something different with them. i don't expect anyone to play the injustice versions of the characters (but i will give you my firstborn if you do) and i'm mostly interested in exploring this version of the character.

there will be talk about child abuse on this blog as damian's story in injustice is fraught with it. injustice bruce is not a good dad. injustice clark is not a good dad. damian is pretty fucked up from their combined bad dadness.

damian is also generally on the wrong side of any argument about the morality of the regime's way of doing things. he doesn't agree with it either, but he's so under clark's thumb that he can't see any functioning alternative. worse, he's been so worn down that he's very easy to manipulate and has a raging death wish.

i'm duplicate friendly! and very open to pretty much any idea you'll throw my way.

SHIPPING & NSFW CONTENT.

Injustice was my first foray into DC comics so it is my "default" canon. Damian is between the ages of 18 (Injustice 1) and 23 (Injustice 2). Due to this, I won't ship with muses under the age of 18.

This blog is multiship. I don’t really go into RPs looking for ships but I’m not against them happening so long as there’s chemistry. Just because I ship something OOCly does not mean that it will happen ICly, sometimes interpretations of muses do not mesh.

Please do not force ships upon me. I ship chemistry.

Sexual content will not be present on this blog. This is a personal preference, as I just feel uncomfortable with minors potentially reading any smut logs I may do. If a ship should move towards that direction and the other party wants to pursue it, I’ll gladly write it in other avenues that are not accessible to the public.

TRIGGERING CONTENT.

This blog deals with core concepts present within INJUSTICE 1&2: namely war, guilt, child abuse, fascism, tolalitarianism, indoctrination, manipulation, murder and questions of identity.

The Clark Kent of Injustice is not a good person. Neither is Bruce Wayne. Injustice is a story of two men who absolutely refuse to see each other's perspective, both doubling down and making the situation worse for all caught in the middle - especially Damian.

I will tag things as best I can, but I ask you contact me directly about things you want tagged. things are tagged tw __. The most common warnings on this blog are tw child abuse and tw abuse.

I’m open to darker roleplays but please talk with me before

CONTACTING THE MUN & ENGAGING THE MUSE.

I’m tracking #batricide for the character, but my tag breaks sometimes so I recommend PMing me if you ping me on it.

Damian's default timeline is set between INJUSTICE 1 & 2.

You are welcome to IM me if we're mutuals. My Discord is available to mutuals.

In addition, I’m not comfortable with writing or interacting with people under the age of 21. I’m an adult who really just wants to unwind with other adults in my free time. You’re free to follow me and read my writing but please respect my boundaries.

I ONLY RP WITH MUTUALS. It’s nothing against you if I don’t follow you back! Sometimes I’m slow to follow back, sometimes our writing styles just won’t mesh, etc.

[lovenge]

❖ 𝑰𝑵 𝑭𝑶𝑳𝑲𝑳𝑶𝑹𝑬 [ ... ] a revenant is a spirit or animated corpse that is believed to have been revived from death to haunt the living.

private + selective retelling of HEATHCLIFF inspired by the pages of EMILY BRONTE'S wuthering heights. other pieces of media are highly influenced to this portrayal, as it will delve into the nature and world experienced by him. scripted by renée. seasian. she/her, 25+. [ ... ] this world deals with the struggles within social class, poverty, discrimination of 19th century socialism. proceed with caution, as this is considered to be a mature blog. rules under the cut. divergence will be talked about soon!

heavy introspection on mental illness, struggles of existence, etc. a study on tragedy and revenge, scorned love and turn to pure madness ... generational curses, alcoholism, broken love, birds of a feather, the misunderstood, the mad poet: the man who could not go on. the one who is never enough.

mains: other:

 the rewriting of Heathcliff fits into gothic horror settings . after starvation that led into his death , he did not die with a light heart . Heathcliff's jealousy and rage manifested into a violent entity that haunts human lives . takes the appearance of an angry ghoul , sometimes will possess corpses and/or attempt human vessels to exact his revenge . due to his death by starvation , many will feel an uncomfortable almost painful hunger within his presence . it also serves as an indicator that he's near .

[  001  ]  i'm going to keep things lowkey here , but basically BASIC RP ETTIQUITE IS EXPECTED. any form of hate, bigotry or nonsense will not be tolerated, at this point I feel it's pretty stark on what that entails. any form of racism, anti-semitic, ableism, aggressive posting / duplicate bashing, vaguing , petty callout posts ( there's a difference between informing the rpc on a problematic person and fueling drama. ) any gross behavior , please do not bring any of it to my blog. I will also often remove myself from things that make me uncomfortable and soft/block for my comfort. if i do unfollow i always softblock , please do not approach me asking why.

[  002  ]  based on the vibe and whether or not i feel like using icons , i may or may not. I use small font with double space , sometimes regular font depending on what i'm feeling. i primarily write in third person , am not against anyone writing in first person , literally do what you want it's super chill here. i exclusively use beta editor, please use it. I prefer not to respond to super tiny / high aesthetically formatted things because it's just not friendly to users who have problems with eye - strain , etc. [  003  ]  THE EASIEST WAY TO WRITE W ME: is to continue prompts i've answered , turning them into threads. or alternatively, I will reblog anything you answer as a thread if muse strikes. spam me with memes / prompts! i always say this but , there's no expiration date to anything i reblog. if you want to interact , sending memes is the easiest way. i like to keep a small following , focusing on a dash with those who i can see myself writing with, which means I won't always follow back. this is not meant to be taken as serious as it sounds, i just genuinely cannot write with everyone , i hope you understand. i can sometimes be slow with replies. if i owe, i truly don't mind being reminded.

[ 004 ] THIS IS VERY MUCH A MATURE BLOG. it delves into the social class of the 19th century onward, discrimination and racism will be themes that fall against HEATHCLIFF as a character. i will always tag heavy topics, but i won't remove these experiences from my interpretation as they heavily change and determine the way his entire structure and world falls apart. on the note of ambiguity that has been considered an argument: HEATHCLIFF is not a White Briton, nor will that ever come into discussion on this blog. He was adopted into a well off family, has always been described with dark hair, dark eyes, and dark skin. in reference to being regarded to a derogatory term i won't use but is (Lashkar, originated from the Arabic word al-'Askir) in referencing south asian seafarers.

[  005  ]  shipping isn't necessary to write with me, however i'm always open to the idea of different ships, as well as platonic connections. ADDITIONALLY, i can't ship instantly even if we're writing muses that have a connection. i'm heavily plot based and that includes shipping. i prefer to talk about our muses in depth before considering whether or not the chemistry is there. HEATHCLIFF is not mentally well and i can hardly consider anything would be considered healthy, however i am down to plot things out!

  006  ]  :  MAINS.  i will state that i obviously will have a preference for writers that i plot with/write with frequently, but uncertain on having exclusives because i like to write with a variety depending on how things play out. this blog will contain affiliates, which simply means my blog is affiliated around certain muse(s) does not mean exclusive , it just means they hold priority to plots, replies, etc.

[yxkushi]

GUIDELINES.

I no longer wish to get involved with the drama from 2019, including but not limited to the callout released on former friends and myself, and the group who made said callout. I genuinely want to move on from that whole situation, so if you try to bring it back you will be blocked, or just block me first if you don’t want to interact with me based on the drama.

Any muses that are from foreign media (re: most of them) will be based more off the localized/English versions of them. Some muses may have things incorporated from the original version, but that depends on what I think of the character.

Unless absolutely necessary for some muses, I will not godmod with your muse. And as common courtesy, I expect my partner to do the same in return. If your character is an asshole to mine, then don’t expect them to just be a doormat in return.

ANONYMOUS HATE/DRAMA IS NOT TOLERATED AND YOU WILL BE BLOCKED. I would like to stay as drama-free as possible, so do not bring me into your personal drama for any reason-you will be blocked for that as well.

Despite everything, I am generally a mild, kind person. However, if you take this as initiative to walk all over me, I will fight back in return.

I have no problem with duplicates; heck, I even enjoy having duplicate muses interact.

While I don’t enforce reblog karma, it is common courtesy to send in an inbox meme if you reblog one of those posts from me.

Do not interact with me if you follow “callout culture”. I don’t care who you are, or what someone else has done/what you perceive they have done, it’s straight up bullying. You endorse a movement that has literally almost ended lives before, even if you think you’re in the right. Just because you think you’re anonymous and impervious on the internet doesn’t mean your actions don’t have a real impact on the person behind the screen. Attempting to get me involved in callout culture will result in an instant hardblock.

There will most likely be “problematic” ships on this blog, due to the character of my muses and their source media. All I will do is tag these ships (when I do have tags for them), but as I said before, sending me or my ship partner hate for doing those ships will result in a block. Do not interact with me if you are an anti-shipper. “Anti-shipper/anti” meaning that you harass people for what they ship.

Due to personal experiences. I may be less inclined to discuss or do certain ships, so if you’re uncertain, please feel free to ask me about it.

Generally, I’m pretty ship-friendly and tend to ship just about everyone and everything. I will tag certain kinds of ships that involve risky content (like incest or noncon); however, it is up to you to make sure you don’t see that kind of content on your dash if you don’t like it/it triggers you.

I am very much open to multishipping or doubles shipping, but please don’t expect a ship to happen immediately after our muses meet.

I am a very, very slow writer sometimes, thanks to my own mental baggage clashing with my writing muse. Thus, how quickly I respond to threads or asks will vary, but you’re welcome to remind me if you want me to continue a thread. Please don’t be too demanding about it, though.

You don’t have to match my length/writing style or use icons when we write together. Admittedly, some threads with certain muses might be iconless on my end due to lack of art or images.

Please, please trim your posts/threads. It’s common courtesy for people who don’t want to see posts that are just lines upon lines, and if you are unable to do it, then I will cut our threads for you.

18+ material will be very rare on this blog, and on here in general. I almost exclusively write it on Discord these days, and only with people I trust and have gotten consent to write it with. I WILL ONLY GIVE OUT MY DISCORD TO CLOSE FRIENDS, OR IF I TRUST YOU ENOUGH.

I am open to writing darker themes, including (but not limited to) torture, violence and abuse, and rape-anything will be tagged accordingly. If you still want to follow me regardless, then don’t come complaining to me when it occurs.

Please tag any content regarding or having mentions of vomiting/emetophilia, animal death, and genital torture/mutilation, seeing as those are major squicks of mine. In return, you can come up to me to ask me to tag anything that squicks/triggers you.

penname: io age: 24 timezone: EST (UTC−04:00/05:00)

[dailywingnews]

How to Make a Fake

Vase de Fleurs (Lilas) is not one of Paul Gauguin’s greatest works. It’s a “middle market” painting, which means it changes hands usually for only a few hundred thousand dollars, and without much fanfare. But in May 2000, the painting proved it could still turn heads. When Christie’s and Sotheby’s released spring catalogues for their modern-art auctions, they were alarmed to discover that each was offering the painting—and each house thought it had the original.

One of the paintings, clearly, was a fake. So the auction houses flew both paintings to Sylvie Crussard, a Gauguin expert at the Wildenstein Institute in Paris. She put them side by side and in a few minutes saw that Christie’s version was, in the delicate argot of the trade, “not right.” (The auction house just barely managed to yank its catalogue back from the printers in time.) Still, it was the best Gauguin counterfeit she’d ever seen. “This was a unique case of resemblance. You never see two works which are that similar,” Crussard marvels.

Christie’s broke the news to the horrified owners at the Gallery Muse in Tokyo, who’d had no idea it was a forgery. The real painting went back to Sotheby’s, where its owner—New York dealer Ely Sakhai—successfully auctioned it off for $310,000. But when the FBI traced the history of the fake, they discovered something even more surprising: The original source was none other than Ely Sakhai, too.

According to the FBI, Sakhai had bought the real Gauguin years earlier, cranked out a duplicate, and sold the illicit copy to a Tokyo collector. Then Sakhai brazenly put the original up for auction, in an attempt to double his profits. It was a pure fluke that the unwitting owner of the Tokyo forgery decided to resell his copy at the same time. But for that coincidence, the forgery might never have been detected.

The more the FBI pulled threads, the more fake paintings it uncovered—all Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, and all traced back to Sakhai. On March 9, agents arrested him at his gallery on Broadway south of Union Square, a storefront crammed with antiques and paintings. They charged him with eight counts of wire and mail fraud. Sakhai had allegedly been running one of the most audacious forgery scams ever—a multi-million-dollar operation that has left art experts alternately amazed by his legerdemain and stunned by his shamelessness. In each case of forgery, the complaint says, Sakhai bought a little-known painting by a modern master, faked it, and then sold both the knockoff and the real one. To keep the duplicity hidden, he allegedly sold the fakes to buyers in Asia, the real ones at New York and London auctions. In total, the scheme grossed $3.5 million, according to FBI estimates.

But what was perhaps most interesting was how well this hustle exploited—and exposed—the frailties of the art marketplace. It is a world in which surprisingly few people are willing to stick their neck out and call a fake a fake, so that even as Sakhai’s scheme racked up victims, virtually no one was willing to call him on it. The forger knew this secret of the art world: It is tolerant of frauds, so long as the victims are in far-off places like Tokyo and too humiliated to raise a fuss. As if delivering a judo move, he used the particular quirks of art dealers against them. “We’re talking about a very, very clever scheme,” a former Christie’s modern-art specialist says.

Ely Sakhai would not, at first blush, seem to be a likely international man of mystery. He flew under the radar in the city’s art scene, rarely appearing at parties or art events. Before his arrest, many New York gallery owners had never heard of him.

The dealer with the low profile emigrated 35 years ago from Iran, and quickly established himself as a successful dealer in antiquities. He became known in the Iranian-American community of Old Westbury, a wealthy Long Island suburb. In the local restaurants, Sakhai is a familiar sight, showing up with his Japanese wife and groups of Iranian art-trade friends. He’s also beloved among the area’s ultra-Orthodox Chabad Jews, not least because he paid to build the Ely Sakhai Torah Center—a modest building that houses a few classrooms, run by Rabbi Aaron Konikov, who wouldn’t comment on the charges. “There are a lot of nice stories you could tell about this man” was all he’d say.

In Sakhai’s professional life, though, the stories were rather less pleasant. In the late eighties, he began to show up regularly at Christie’s and Sotheby’s to buy Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. He cut an unusual figure: A short man with a Clark Gable pencil-line mustache, he was a reserved figure, except for his outlandish outfits. The former Christie’s specialist remembers seeing Sakhai arriving in “cowboy boots and fringed stuff”; one dealer recalls a purple suit. Sakhai later switched to more conservative clothes, but he always carried himself like royalty. “He’d have these big, expensive rings. When you looked at him, you could tell there was money there,” says the dealer.

Though Sakhai bought famous artists like Chagall, Monet, and Laurencin, he didn’t buy their A-list art. He stuck exclusively to cheaper, lesser-known works of no more than a few hundred thousand dollars, tops. Still, “he made an impression because he bought a lot of work,” as the specialist recalls.

Soon, curious stories began to emerge—almost always from people in Tokyo who said they’d dealt with Sakhai. Flush with cash in the nineties, Tokyo companies and collectors had developed an enormous appetite for Impressionist work, and Sakhai apparently found many eager buyers in the “Tokyo bubble.” For example, the FBI says, in 1990 Sakhai bought La Nappe Mauve by Marc Chagall at a Christie’s auction, for $312,000. Three years later, he sold what appeared to be La Nappe Mauve to a Tokyo collector for $514,000. The collector resold the painting, too, and after it switched hands a few times, the new owner put it up for auction at the Galerie Koller in Zurich.

The gallery’s director, Cyril Koller, was about to put the painting on the cover of his auction catalogue when he got, he says, a funny feeling. He decided to look into its authenticity. Sakhai had originally sold the painting with an accompanying certificate issued by the Comité Chagall, a French organization that authenticates all Chagalls. Koller faxed the certificate to France for verification; it checked out. But Koller was still suspicious, so he compared the painting closely to a photograph of it on the certificate. He noticed that the brush strokes were off, and “the colors were strange, a little bit,” he recalls. It was a fake.

Koller had figured out the key element of the forger’s scheme: When he copied a painting, he took the genuine certificate of authenticity and slapped it on the duplicate—thus making it much easier to pass off. Any buyer who looked at the certificate would assume the counterfeit was real. And the original painting could be sold with confidence later on, sans certificate, since it was the genuine item. In fact, Sakhai did precisely that: In 1999, he sold the real La Nappe Mauve at Christie’s for $340,000.

The scheme had one obvious risk, of course: the existence of twin paintings. Over time, several surreal situations emerged in which two seemingly identical paintings cropped up at the same time, like models arriving at a party wearing the same “unique” designer gown. According to the FBI, Sakhai sold a forged copy of Marie Laurencin’s Jeune Fille à la Mandoline to a Tokyo buyer in 1995 for approximately $28,100 (the buyer paid by trading two paintings of combined equal value). The painting was resold a few times and then eventually consigned for auction at Christie’s in 1997—whereupon Christie’s realized that Sakhai also owned the same painting. In another case, a buyer sent to Christie’s a Marc Chagall, called Les Maries au Bouquet de Fleurs, that he had bought from Sakhai. The auctioneers initially sold it for $450,000, then realized that it was a fake; they then rescinded the sale and sent the painting back to its owner. In 1998, a buyer in Taipei reportedly paid Sakhai $80,000 for a supposed Chagall, Le Roi David Dans le Paysage Vert, as well as a Renoir. When he sent Le Roi David to the Comité Chagall for verification, the group declared it a fake—whereupon the French authorities destroyed it. Sotheby’s later discovered that the Renoir was bogus as well.

Soon, enough Asian customers had been burned that word began getting out about Sakhai. Kara Besher, owner of Maru Gallery in Tokyo, had a client who was interested in a Sakhai painting—a “large, gorgeous Modigliani, desirable year, stellar provenance”—but wanted Besher to examine it. Besher met Sakhai at Tokyo’s Imperial Hotel, where he would often conduct sales while in town. He introduced himself as a French art dealer, and Besher was alarmed to see that he’d stacked several apparently valuable paintings casually against the wall. He brought out the Modigliani. She was unimpressed.

“I am not an expert in the artist’s work,” she later wrote in an e-mail, “but the painting didn’t evidence the signs of age one would normally expect. It looked almost comically fresh and new.” (She leaned in closely to see if she could smell fresh paint, but her nose was overwhelmed by Sakhai’s cologne.) She advised her client against buying the painting. Another gallery owner, Y. Mano, also met Sakhai at the hotel, where he was shown works by Monet and Laurencin. He, too, declined: “Fake,” he says bluntly. “No good.”

In the U.S., even the auction houses were beginning to cast a suspicious eye toward Sakhai. Sure, the paintings he was selling would check out fine: They were, after all, real. But Tokyo collectors kept claiming they had the same ones. “Every time we put a painting from [Sakhai] in, we’d get a phone call from around the world saying, What are you doing with my painting?” says the former Christie’s specialist.

They began to question Sakhai more closely; Sakhai denied having anything to do with the fakes. On the contrary, he noted, he often consigned paintings to other dealers—so who knows what happened while the paintings were out of his control? The questioning didn’t seem to faze him. He was “very matter-of-fact” about it, the specialist adds: “Not aggressively defensive.”

Yet one Manhattan antiquities dealer familiar with Sakhai says he, too, noticed clues. For example, he says, Sakhai would regularly buy up old, rather worthless paintings. They’re known to be useful in forgery circles, since a forger can paint a dupe on top of the old canvas, giving the fabrication a facsimile of age. “Everybody who was selling them to him would know what he was doing with them. He wouldn’t care what the painting was,” says the dealer. “It’s been notorious.”

By the late nineties, Special Agent Jim Wynne of the FBI in New York had begun to make inquiries. The FBI will not comment on its investigation, other than to say it took “longer than a couple of years” to assemble the case. But as Wynne interviewed art dealers in New York and Tokyo, Sakhai learned that the noose was closing around him. “Mr. Sakhai has been keenly aware of the existence of this investigation … for close to five or six years at this point,” Sakhai’s lawyer, James Keneally, noted at Sakhai’s initial court appearance on March 9. Indeed, he added, Sakhai “knew beyond any doubt” that the FBI was preparing to move in and have him charged.

If it took a long time for the FBI to bring Sakhai in, observers say, it was probably because international forgery scams are notoriously complex. The FBI would have had to cooperate with police forces in several countries, hunting down dealers undoubtedly reticent to discuss how they’d been hoodwinked. Besides, the art experts are French, the collectors are Japanese, and the need to translate everything seems to have impeded the process.

At least one mystery remains: To this day, the FBI agents do not know who actually painted the forgeries. Copying of a painting is itself not illegal; it’s only when you try to sell it as authentic that it becomes fraud. Some experts say the painter is unlikely to have been American, because American art schools now rarely teach traditional oil technique. They suggest that a more likely place is China, which is flush with ultracheap labor. “The Chinese have a lot of people doing it,” says Denis Dutton, an art expert and professor at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Given the high quality of the Gauguin copy she saw, the Wildenstein Institute’s Sylvie Crussard thinks the painter must have been young and vigorous. “You can’t be old,” she says, “to do that.”

When news of Sakhai’s arrest reached the art world, dealers had one question: How did such a nervy scheme go undetected for so long? “What’s just phenomenal to me is that he’d sell the real [paintings] publicly,” says Warren Adelson, president of Adelson Galleries, which specializes in Impressionists. “It’s like a death wish or something. It’s like a B-movie.”

Yet the forger’s success may lie in the art world itself—and how deftly he navigated its politics. By avoiding the New York market, he ensured that he’d generate little local heat. Moreover, Japanese art buyers are particularly reliant upon certificates of authenticity; because they’re so far from Europe, Tokyo collectors do not have easy access to the experts who can spot a fake Chagall at 50 feet. As a result, “the Japanese are famous for being kind of obsessed with certificates of authenticity. They’re almost more important than the actual painting,” says Judd Tully, editor-at-large of Art & Auction. A forger who transferred a real certificate to a counterfeit could be sure that few Japanese experts would spot the deceit. What’s more, since the paintings in question were not famous, few experts would be familiar with them, making it less likely someone would notice a fake. (A Japanese buyer might fly an expert in from Paris to authenticate a $20 million painting, but not a $500,000 one.) Culture helped out, too. When Japanese dealers discover they’ve been cheated, they’re less likely to raise a fuss than European or American ones, because they feel ashamed.

But the alleged scam also relied on one unexpected fact. In the art world, crying “fake” is surprisingly difficult. One might imagine that dealers are manic about authenticity and would be quick to publicize any possible chicanery. But when million-dollar reputations are on the line, openly claiming that someone else has been suckered—or complaining that you have been—can get you slapped with a libel suit. Even when a dealer spots a clear forgery, few people are willing to burn bridges by speaking out.

In the art world, crying “fake” is surprisingly difficult. Even when a dealer spots a clear forgery, few people are willing to burn bridges by speaking out. “What’s your motivation if you see a forgery on the wall at Sotheby’s?” one New York dealer says. “What are you going to do—raise hell until they begrudgingly take it down? No. You think, Maybe I won’t mention this.” Indeed, the dealer criticizes Christie’s and Sotheby’s for doing a lackluster job of spotting the Impressionist fakes. In some cases that the FBI examined, when a collector unwittingly consigned one of the forgeries to auction, the houses blithely listed it in their catalogues—discovering the fake only after receiving puzzled phone calls from Tokyo.

As you’d expect, this sniping annoys the auction houses. “We do our best” to verify authenticity, says Christie’s spokesperson Andrée Corroon. That means not merely giving the artwork a smell test but tracking the paperwork for as many previous owners as possible. Yet even when a fake is suspected, the repercussions can be mild. Auction houses don’t consistently turn a suspected forgery over to the police; they can just send it back to the owner. If the owner doesn’t want it, the auction house sometimes keeps the painting, taking it out of circulation, according to Corroon. And, as observers point out, the sheer economics of the business means that auction houses can’t afford to lavish days on the history of each “middle market” work that brings in only a small commission. “If it’s not a $5 million picture, it’s not the bread and butter,” Tully says. By sticking to lesser-known paintings, the forgery scheme neatly leveraged this market reality.

It is also likely that a plot of this sort could never work again. When the forging scheme began, it was the early nineties, and communication between the U.S. and Asia was much slower. A decade later, when every auction incorporated online bidding and most galleries had Websites, victims could quickly figure out the scam’s central flaw: that a single painting was in two places at once. “Maybe he was sort of living in the past,” muses one New York dealer. “Today, with the Internet, people get the message really, really quickly. It was an astonishing story.” For a forger to pull off a similar scheme today, he’d have to avoid the auction houses altogether, and do everything extremely quietly, through private dealers. Or, like a few great forgers of the past, he’d need to invent “lost” works from scratch, in the style of great artists, with no originals to trip things up—requiring the rare, talented painter who can pull it off.

As for Sakhai himself, he’s still out on bail, and still drives in from Long Island to visit his Manhattan gallery. Customers still come by to assess nineteenth-century candelabra, Victorian vases, the paintings that crowd the walls. But Sakhai isn’t talking; at one point, he calls up to explain, quietly and politely, that it wouldn’t be in his interest. “To be honest, I wanted to come and talk to you,” he says, “but my lawyer advised me don’t. I wish I could.” And then, muttering a quick thank-you, he hangs up.